But there is also just no getting around the fact that this Chargers team is loaded. It’s almost unfair to have this many 20-somethings at the top of their game.

“There are a bunch of guys who have had their best season,” cornerback Quentin Jammer said. “And that’s why we’re sitting here at 13-3 going into the playoffs.”

Philip Rivers played just a quarter yesterday, threw just 15 passes and finished the season with a career-high 4,254 yards. That doesn’t even begin to speak to his ability to make throws some quarterbacks can only imagine and how he has evolved into the irrefutable leader of this team.

Tight end Antonio Gates had a career year as well, yesterday catching one pass for 12 yards to push his season total to 1,157 yards. Destined to be a Hall of Famer for the unprecedented things he had accomplished before this season, he has been a marvel to see playing at this level at 29.

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson sat yesterday due to a sore Achilles’, so he was unable to add to his career-high 1,167 yards. Jackson had six 100-yard games, tied for most in the NFL, nine touchdowns and 17 receptions of at least 20 yards.

Outside linebacker Shaun Phillips led the NFL with seven forced fumbles, led the Chargers with seven sacks and tied for the lead with Brandon Siler with four more tackles for loss.

Jammer continued to be a shutdown corner and could arguably be considered to have had his finest season. He was targeted 80 times and allowed just 43 receptions, both the fewest of his career. Of his three interceptions, tied for the team high, one saved a touchdown and the other two led to touchdowns by giving the Chargers short fields.

Kicker Nate Kaeding made 32 of the 35 field goals he attempted, including his last 20 in a row. His 91.4 percent success rate was a franchise record, and his 146 points led the NFL.

There were also less quantifiable career years, such as those of left guard Kris Dielman and left tackle Marcus McNeill. (And another story altogether is how so many young and unknown players played so well.)

Now comes the important part. The Chargers have a week off, perhaps a day or so to reflect, a little rest and then another postseason that will ultimately prove whether this group was as good as it and many others thought back in August.

“We have an awful lot of talent, but we’re not finished yet,” McNeill said. “It won’t be my most successful season unless we end up where we want to go.”